Happy New Year! Most people are thinking and talking about New Year’s resolutions.  If you’re tired of making New Year’s resolutions and not keeping them, I suggest setting goals for the new year.  

What is different about goals? According to WordBook, a resolution is “a decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner” which to me is different from a goal.  You may not agree but here’s my thinking…….

If I am making a resolution I usually am trying to change a behavior. It’s not uncommon to hear people making resolutions to lose weight to get in better shape to go back to school, etc. because they want to change a behavior. However, when making goals it’s important to remember that a goal is a plan and a plan involves action. 

When I set my goal to go to nursing school I didn’t change my behavior, instead I devised a plan of action to get me there.  Once I got into nursing school I had completed my goal. It was a successful accomplishment towards my future. 

 Another goal that I was able to accomplish was to go back to grad school. I had a goal of going back to grad school within five years of completing nursing school. My plan of action began with looking at many graduate programs. I realized my true goal was to be able to teach nursing students, and in order to do that I had to have my Masters degree. My first decision  was to decide on what type of masters degree I wanted  that would enable me to better teach students. With that in mind, I decided on a masters in the specialty of family nurse practitioner so that I would acquire advanced skills to teach nursing students. Once I made that decision I chose the school to help me best accomplish that goal.

 That goal took time, it didn’t happen in a year! The second year of grad school my goal was the same – to complete my masters program. Therefore, the second year I did not make a new goal, I just continued with that goal until it was finished. So a new year doesn’t necessarily mean a new goal. A new year may mean continue to strive towards your goal. 

My ultimate goal was to teach nursing students and that is still my  goal! I love education and I am passionate about nursing students. Teaching will always be a goal of mine, I’m not sure that one will ever end. 

I am currently teaching nursing students for a local university in the clinical setting and I absolutely love it! My goal is to continue to teach nursing students in the academic setting or clinical setting for the rest of my career. I hope to keep inspiring and empowering nursing students to grow into their career and successes through teaching, mentoring, and blogging.  A goal I have set for this year is to continue to write and get more exposure for this blog so that I may touch the lives of nursing students all over the globe. 

What goals have you set? What goals are you working towards this year? If you don’t have a goal set I encourage you to set a goal whether it’s for your career or for yourself personally. Goals help us grow, mature, and develop into better human beings. 

Be Inspired,

Lisa Marie Walsh